Kenner – Vintage Action Figureshttp://vintageactionfigures.com
Action Figures From the 70's Through the 90'sTue, 21 Mar 2017 00:52:24 +0000en-UShourly11978 Star Wars Villain Sethttp://vintageactionfigures.com/1978-star-wars-villain-set.html
http://vintageactionfigures.com/1978-star-wars-villain-set.html#commentsFri, 13 Sep 2013 23:23:13 +0000http://vintageactionfigures.com/?p=256Kenner released three Star Wars "Three Pack" sets in 1978. This is the Villain set which includes a Stormtrooper, Darth Vader and a Death Squad Commander. It has the long play logo and white price sticker area at the top right corner that the original 12-back cards also have.

The card back shows all three trio sets from Kenner. They include the Villain set, Hero set, and Android set.

These trio sets are very rare a sell for quite a bit when they are available. In March of 2012 one of these sets sold for $2950.00. More recently in June of 2013 an ungraded set in very nice condition sold for $3729.00. This is very close to the same price a Hero set sold for around the same time. That set sold for $3718.00 and was graded AFA 85. Obviously, if you need one of these for your collection you may have a difficult time finding one. Still, they are not likely to lose value and more likely will escalate in value even more over time.

These sets were later re-issued by Hasbro and sold exclusively in target stores around 2012.

]]>http://vintageactionfigures.com/1978-star-wars-villain-set.html/feed2Warning! Alien Is Here!http://vintageactionfigures.com/kenner-alien-1979.html
http://vintageactionfigures.com/kenner-alien-1979.html#respondWed, 11 Sep 2013 00:15:34 +0000http://vintageactionfigures.com/?p=1057After the success of Star Wars in 1977 came a movie two years later that would scare movie goers to no end. It was the 1979 release of Alien starring Sigourney Weaver and directed by Ridley Scott. Alien was a blend of horror and sci-fi and with a R rating was a step up from the PG rated Star Wars. Leveraging the success of the movie Kenner came out with an Alien action figure that left some parents wondering if they should even buy it for their kids. It stands 18 inches tall and is an excellent representation of the horrifying alien in the movie. Kenner originally made prototypes of 3 3/4 inch figures for Alien but never produced them, instead deciding to produce the larger figure.

As you can see, even the artwork and pictures on the retail box were scary. The figure had spring loaded arms and a moveable tail. It also had mechanically operated jaws that when activated would cause the smaller set of the alien's jaws to protrude from the larger mouth. The only thing it was missing was the copious amounts of dripping saliva.

The movie alien was designed by surrealist artist H.R. Giger known for both his work on the Alien movie as well as the classic German movie Killer Condom. Well, more so for Alien than anything else. Dan O'Bannon initially saw Giger's work and found it disturbing. Ridley Scott called the movie the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre of science fiction". Wow! What mom wouldn't want to get this toy for their little child? In fact, allegedly due to many complaints from parents the Alien figure was taken off the market or discounted and sold off quickly. That is why they are somewhat rare today.

The Alien action figure was very detailed and also had a clear plastic head dome that fit over the alien's skull. Over time many of the domes were broken or lost and now they sell for a premium themselves. In fact, the last two sales were for over $100.

Here you can see the detail of the alien's head. The skull/brains would actually glow in the dark after being exposed to light for a while.

Here are the protruding jaws that were activated via a trigger switch at the rear bottom of the skull. Pulling the trigger would open the lower jaw and extrude the small set of jaws. The alien's arms and legs are both articulated and his tail will rotate as well.

Here are the instructions that were included in the box.

In case you missed the TV commercial when you were younger here it is:

If the action figure wasn't enough then you could buy the Alien board game described as "An exciting new game of elimination and escape!".

Given the icon stature of the movie in both the horror and sci-fi genres the action figure is very desirable among collectors. And, since mom's around the world complained about the scary figure resulting in it's removal from the market there are not a whole lot of these figures around now. To find one mint in the box is very difficult and they sell for around $1000. A nice loose figure without a box can sell for $200 to $250.

]]>http://vintageactionfigures.com/kenner-alien-1979.html/feed0The Original Stretch Armstronghttp://vintageactionfigures.com/original-stretch-armstrong.html
http://vintageactionfigures.com/original-stretch-armstrong.html#respondSat, 07 Sep 2013 22:35:18 +0000http://vintageactionfigures.com/?p=997In 1974 a new idea blossomed in the action figure arena. From the imaginative mind of a Kenner employee a new type of figure, Stretch Armstrong, was born. He was no ordinary action figure. He was filled with corn syrup and his arms and legs could stretch to almost four times their original size. Children of the world responded with such enthusiasm that Stretch Armstrong eventually became a toy icon.

The creative Kenner employee's name was James Kuhn and he developed the basic idea of the stretch figure into something that was accepted by Kenner management for production. Once the figure was sketched out, the technical drawings were then sent to Kenner's tooling companies so that the molds could be made. The molds, also called mandrels, were made from either aluminum or ceramic. The molds were then dipped in latex to create the figures skin. The ceramic molds produced a smoother skin with more muscle definition than did the aluminum molds. But, the aluminum molds were easier and faster to make so most figures were eventually made with this process.

Once the skin was made it was filled with what is basically corn syrup mixed with a few other ingredients to reduce the moisture content and make it more malleable. Still, if Stretch Armstrong was injured in a "fight" he would bleed sweet corn syrup. Of course, over the years the syrup mixture would either leak or become hard rendering poor Stretch a lot less stretchy.

At that point a hard plastic neck insert was placed in the neck cavity of the figure. A rubber o-ring was then used to compress the plastic skin onto the neck piece. Years of torturous play and aging led many a Stretch Armstrong to leak in this area. It can be seen pretty readily by the dark brown ring around a lot of the Stretch Armstrongs necks. Once the Stretch was filled with the syrup mixture another neck insert was placed in the neck opening that had a small hole that was used to bleed the air from the figure. With all the air out of the figure the hole was then sealed with glue. Armstrong's head was then placed over a flange on the neck insert. The head slipped over the flange and was made of a softer rubber so it could expand over the flange and was held in place by extrusions on the inside of the head/neck. Once finished Stretch got a dousing of talc powder to keep his skin in nice condition. Stretch Armstrong now lives! Unfortunately for him he was then placed in a Styrofoam coffin and then into the retail box. The Styrofoam coffin conforms to the stretch body so he fits in it like a glove. So, Stretch can not only survive extensive stretching of his limbs but can withstand long periods of time in a small claustrophobic Styrofoam coffin as well.

While you may currently be floating on a cloud of whimsical nostalgia remembering your younger carefree days and hours of playing with your Stretch Armstrong let me bring you back to earth with the actual patent language from the original Stretch Armstrong patent filed in 1977. In the patent, Stretch was actually called a "Stretchable figure exhibiting slow recovery". Not an appealing name for a children's toy. The patent description said:

The present invention provides a toy figure of any desired shape. For example, the toy figure may be a doll in the shape of a muscular man or a shapely woman. The toy figure may alternatively be in the form of an animal shape such as a giraffe, an elephant or a pig. In each instance, however, the figure will include an elastic skin having a memory and a highly viscous filling material.

The skin material may be any elastic film material having a memory. Suitable material includes natural rubber, as well as synthetic rubber. The elastic film is first formed into the desired shape such as the shape of the human body or that of an animal body. This skin manufacturing process may be carried out in a manner similar to that used in preparation of shaped expandable balloons. Desirably, this elastic skin has elongation characteristics permitting stretching of at least 300 percent of its original dimensions and yet returning to its original dimensions upon release. It also has characteristics that permit repeated stretching and distorting. An important characteristic of the skin is its capability of stretching while under stress and returning to its original size upon release of the stress.

What was Stretch Armstrong filled with? What did he bleed when gored by Stretch X-Ray? Well, he bled high viscosity corn syrup. Kenner probably mixed a number of other ingredients with the corn syrup in order to increase its viscosity. In fact, the patent mentions nine different formulations of potential corn syrup recipes. Viscosity is basically a measure of a liquids thickness. Regular corn syrup is thicker than water but probably not thick enough for Stretch Armstrong so Kenner basically took the corn syrup and cooked it for a little bit to remove some of the moisture which in turn made it thicker. Then they possibly added some other inert ingredients like limestone, rosin, or pine pitch to increase the viscosity and weight even more as well as reduce costs.

Sadly, Stretch Armstrong was made to be brutalized by kids and despite his toughness he many times did not survive the ordeals that children put him through. Because of this, there are not that many Stretch Armstrongs left in the world and very few in excellent condition. There were roughly 40 thousand Stretch Armstrongs made when production began in 1976, but since so many did not survive there are estimates of only a few hundred in existence today. Of those few hundred perhaps less than 50 are in very good or better condition. Of course, over time more Armstrongs will be found and that number will go up but not by much. The popularity of the figure as a collectible will most likely grow far faster then the supply possibly can.

Stretch is about 15 inches long and can be stretched to nearly four feet. Included in the retail box were 10 Curad bandages which could be used to patch any leaking punctures that Stretch may suffer. A stretch graph or poster was also included which showed how far Stretch could be extended. The Stretch poster is attainable for collectors but the bandages are extremely difficult to find. Obviously most kids would either use the bandages to fix Stretch or they would lose or throw them away.

As far as I know, the original Stretch was issued in two different boxes. One was the box you will usually see him in which looks like this:

There was also a far more rare window box that looks like this:

This box is a copy of the original design (of which there are less than a handful in existence). The Stretch King sold this copy box along with an Armstrong figure for over $900 in May of 2013. The Stretch king is probably the leading unofficial authority on Stretch figures and has a massive collection of the rarest stretch figures known to exist. He has been slowly selling them and you will see some of his items on eBay from time to time. In fact, at the time of this posting he was selling this cool ceramic Stretch Armstrong mold for over $2800.00. The ceramic or porcelain mold, also called mandrels, are very rare since they are so fragile and crack very easily.

There is also a more common aluminum mandrel like this:

There are a number of different versions of Stretch Armstrong and he was marketed all around the world. The Japanese version of Stretch Armstrong is called Mister-X and looks like this:

As you can see the figure is essentially the same but the box artwork and name are different. Mee-Sue-Tah-X!

Here is the Stretch poster or graph that kids could use to measure their Armstrong's stretching capacity:

There were quite a few related Stretch figures made such as Stretch X-Ray, Stretch Monster, and the extremely rare Stretch Serpent. Later in 1993, Stretch was revived by Cap Toys and re-issued with a new design as well as a sidekick dog named Fetch Armstrong and evil counterpart called Wretch Armstrong.

As you can see, the Cap Toys Stretch has a more exaggerated comical face and sports shorts and shirt with logo.

Apparently there is a movie in the making featuring Stretch Armstrong. Hasbro, which currently owns the rights to Armstrong, signed a deal with Universal Studios to make the film which was originally going to star Taylor Lautner as Stretch but he has since dropped out. Universal then dropped the film but is was picked up by Relativity Media and filming began in May of 2013.

The film is scheduled for release in April of 2014. The media and public exposure of Stretch should push values of the older figures even higher.

It's already very difficult to find the original Kenner version of Stretch Armstrong in anything better than good condition. Most examples have damage or signs of age of some sort or another. The highest sale value I've seen has been one of the Stretch King's which sold for $3,750. That Stretch was in mint, like new condition as was the box. It even included the nearly impossible to find bandages. That sale would be the very high end of the spectrum for Stretch Armstrong values. Another sold for $400 but had extensive damage to the box and coffin. There was also a sale of a very nice Stretch with a non-original copy box but with coffin and stretch poster that reached $340 on auction.

There is no doubt that the original Kenner Stretch Armstrong will increase in value over time. There are only so many of them left and even those are probably deteriorating to some extent if not properly stored and maintained. So, if you want a Stretch you'd probably better find one fairly soon.

If you want to learn more about Stretch Armstrong and his cohorts be sure to check out the Stretch King's site at Stretch Armstrong World. It's a great site with basically everything you'd ever want to know about Stretch.

]]>http://vintageactionfigures.com/original-stretch-armstrong.html/feed0Star Wars Early Bird Certificate Package 1977http://vintageactionfigures.com/star-wars-early-bird-certificate-package-1977.html
http://vintageactionfigures.com/star-wars-early-bird-certificate-package-1977.html#respondTue, 04 Jun 2013 21:50:53 +0000http://vintageactionfigures.com/?p=691Kenner toy company had scored big time when they won the rights to produce Star Wars related toys. Unfortunately, at the time, they didn't realize it. It wasn't until after the contract was signed and the movie came out that everyone realized how big a hit Star Wars going to be. Kenner may not have even planned to create an action figure line based upon the movie but once it started selling out at theaters across the nation Kenner made the decision to create one. The downside was that the company did not have enough time to design, test, and manufacture the figures before the Christmas selling season. They could have just waited and released the toy line later but someone at Kenner came up with the idea to sell the figures before they were actually made.

Kenner designed what was essentially a cardboard envelope that contained nothing but a cardboard display stand, a few stickers, and the all-important certificate which kids could mail in to later receive the actual action figures. So, now parents had something to put under the Christmas tree for their kids. Even though the figures weren't actually included the excitement for most kids must have been palpable.

Once the certificate was mailed in Kenner would, when the figures were ready, send out the Early Bird Kit which included Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, Princess Leia and Artoo-Detoo. The figures were sealed in plastic and placed in a plastic tray.

There was also a small plastic bag of plastic pegs which could be used to affix the action figures to the cardboard display from the original envelope, a catalog and a card you could mail in to get the 12 figure display stand.

Here is the catalog that was included:

Here are the stickers that were included in the package:

Here is the mail in postcard:

Obviously, most children would damage the early bird envelope when opening it or waiting for their figures to arrive. They would also most likely open the figures and place them on the stand when received. So, to find the early bird set unopened is very difficult. Early sets included the Luke Skywalker with double telescoping light saber while later versions switched to the one piece light saber.

This set is a must for the serious Star Wars collector because these figures were the first Star Wars action figures ever produced. Some call it the Holy Grail of Star Wars collectibles. Demand for the set is high and so are the prices. Recently an unopened set sold for $3500 and they consistently sell for $2000 to $3000.

Ben Kenobi from the Star Wars movie series was also known as "Obi Wan" Kenobi. In 1978 Kenner made him into an action figure for the enthusiasts and later for the collectors. Depending on the condition, this Star Wars action figure can sell from $25 dollars up to $13,000 dollars or more. Get a closer look at the details on the Kenner Ben "Obi wan" Kenobi Star Wars action figure here in this informative article.

Ben Kenobi was the good guy, the one who fought Darth Vader in what is considered the best light saber fight in the Star Wars series. Ben "Obi Wan" was the victor over the dark side and so his action figures go for a pretty price. That is if they are in good condition. The 1978 series can command an especially high price. The loose 12 Back Ben Kenobi Star Wars figure from Kenner can go for as high as $303 dollars. But if he comes with a double telescoping light saber, he may sell for $13,000 dollars. A recent Ben Kenobi with the double telescoping saber was sold for $22,000 dollars on ebay last year. These are of course the rare versions and are hard to find. There are reported to be only 12 or less left in the world. They were a limited run by Kenner before they switched to the single telescoping version. A recent sale of a Star Wars 12 Back Ben "Obi Wan" Kenobi with grey hair sold for over $2000 dollars. It had a grade from the Action Figure Authority ( AFA ) of 85 NM+. It was a carded and not an open action figure.

The collectibility of the Kenner Ben Kenobi action figures from Star Wars are unquestionable. There are even fake models being put on the market, thanks to the scarcity of the double telescoping light saber version. There are even rarer versions that have a mushroom tip. The tip was designed by Kenner to keep the plastic from exiting the back of the handle of the toy. Reportedly, only one exists, making it a prototype. Some are hand painted and the coat that Ben Kenobi wears is cut from different material. It is recommended that a prospective buyer of the double telescoping version pay close attention to the toy they are thinking on buying. The imitation action figures have been faked very well.

Some other variations of the Star Wars Ben "Obi Wan" Kenobi had to do with the color of the figure's hair. Some came with grey hair and some with white. This will not affect the price of the action figure that much. Some versions came with the eyes painted a different color. Still other versions came with a wider stance. The height of the action figure is three and three quarters of an inch. Ben "Obi Wan" Kenobi was one of the first 12 action figures featured on the back side of the blister packs the toys came in.

The 1978 versions of Ben Kenobi should have the year they were manufactured stamped on them. You may find it on the back of one leg of the action figure. Do not be surprised if you find some were made in Hong Kong.

]]>http://vintageactionfigures.com/ben-kenobi-12-back-a-star-wars.html/feed5Stretch Serpent The Holy Grail Of Stretch Toyshttp://vintageactionfigures.com/stretch-serpent-the-holy-grail-of-stretch-toys.html
http://vintageactionfigures.com/stretch-serpent-the-holy-grail-of-stretch-toys.html#commentsWed, 10 Oct 2012 22:09:16 +0000http://vintageactionfigures.com/?p=362The "Stretch" series of action figures from Kenner includes what is now one of the rarest toys around. It is the Stretch Serpent. Not too many were made and far far less have survived over the years, making them extremely rare and difficult for collectors to find. The Stretch Serpent goes by more than one name and is regarded as one of the most collectable of the Stretch action toys from Kenner.

It is not "stretching" the truth to claim that the Stretch Serpent is the rarest of Kenner's stretch toys. Nicknamed "Cecil The Stretch Sea Serpent" or sometimes "The Loch Ness Creature", as seen on the box, the toy is so rare that collectors claim there are only three or four of known complete examples of it in the world.As you can see, the Serpent is a great looking toy. Its green snake like body and monstrous, hypnotic yellow eyes with red blood vessels give it a fantastic creepy look.

There is some debate over why the Serpent is so rare. Some believe that he had a short production run and was just unpopular so not many made it to the store shelves. Others think that it may have been pulled from shelves quickly due to a threatened lawsuit because of its similarity to Sid and Marty Krofft's Sleestak figure from Land of The Lost TV series. That figure was made in 1975 and as you can see the head is very similar to the Serpents.

Either way Kenner really only had one production run of serpents and that was probably just for a test market. Low sales might cause the department stores to pull the toy off the shelves and send them back to Kenner for a credit though it seems some stores would have moved them to clearance. In that case more examples might exist today. A lawsuit threat might cause the stores to either destroy the remaining serpents or send them back to Kenner for a credit at which time Kenner would destroy them. That scenario would result in far less serpents existing today. You can probably imagine what happened with most of the Stretch Serpents that were actually sold. They were abused. Children were no doubt attempting to stretch the Serpent way beyond its intended abilities. Since it was filled with corn syrup, probably all that was left of many of them in the end was the head.

Given that there are only three or four of the Stretch Serpents in existence auction prices are inevitably going to be high. One of the first sales, which occurred in 2008, was of a very nice Serpent that had been refilled with cotton, as a precaution, and had a small repair done to the latex body. The box and coffin were very nice. That serpent sold for $12,500. Another Stretch Serpent sold in October of 2012 for $9,000. It too was in great shape and included the box and coffin. But, the box had been shot with a BB gun so it had some holes in it. The Serpent itself was unharmed and in great condition. Here is that auctions description:

THIS TOY IS CONSIDERED THE ULTIMATE HOLY GRAIL OF ALL KENNER TOYS EVER MADE. THE ELUSIVE SERPENT . ONLY 3 EXAMPLES ARE KNOWN TO EXIST AND THIS IS BY FAR THE MOST PERFECT EXAMPLE.IT IS MINT UNUSED WITH THE ORIGINAL CELLO ON THE HEAD AND IS STILL SOFT AND 100% ORIGINAL WITH NO SPLITS OR TEARS ANYWHERE . WE JUST AQUIRED IT FROM AN EX SEARS EXECUTIVE THAT WAS IN CHARGE OF SEARS EXCLUSIVES BACK IN THE 1970s , SEARS WANTED SOMETHING DIFFERENT AND THEY DECIDED ON THIS. HE TOOK THIS EXAMPLE HOME AS A MOMENTO FROM KENNER AS HE HAD A HAND IN ACTUALLY COMING UP WITH THE IDEA OF THE SERPENT. HE SAID THAT THE LIQUID INSIDE IS ACTUALLY KARO SYRUP . IT INCLUDES THE ORIGINAL INSTRUCTIONS AND NECK TAG. YOU CAN SEE THAT THE NECK TAG HAS A PIECE MISSING BUT NONE THE LESS AMAZING THAT IT IS EVEN HERE. THE BOX LOOKS NICE BUT IF YOU LOOK CLOSER AT THE PICTURES YOU WILL SEE SOME SCATTERED PUNCTURE MARKS . RECENTLY WHEN HE UNPACKED IT AFTER HAVING IT STORED ALL THESE YEARS. HIS SON CONFESSED TO USING THE BOX AS TARGET PRACTICE FOR HIS BB GUN DECADES AGO . AMAZINGLY THE SON TOOK THE SERPHANT OUT OF THE BOX AND WHEN HE WAS DONE WITH TARGET PRACTICE . HE PUT THE SERPENT BACK INSIDE THE INSERT AND PUT EVERYTHING BACK IN THE BOX . THE PUNTURES EASILY PUSHED BACK OUT AND AS YOU CAN SEE DO NOT DETRACT FROM THE DISPLAY OF THE BOX. WE DO ALSO SEE A LIGHT MOISTURE LINE AROUND THE TOP PORTION OF THE BOX THAT IS GENERALLY ALSO HARD TO SEE BUT GIVEN THE RARITY OF THIS WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE COVER THE DESCRIPTION CAREFULLY , THE TOP LID HAS THE ORIGINAL SEARS CATALOG NUMBER.

Kenner was apparently the number one buyer of corn syrup during those years of stretch toy production. Corn syrup was the liquid that filled the Stretch Serpent and the other members of the Stretch series such as Stretch X-Ray and Stretch Armstrong.

Here are some of the rare inserts that were included in the Stretch Serpent's packaging. These are mildly damaged but you can get an idea of what they looked like.

Stretch Serpents are extremely rare and are probably one of the more difficult if not impossible collectible toys to find. As I mentioned above they have sold for over $10,000 in the past and one is currently listed as a buy-it-now on eBay for a mere $20,000. For Stretch collectors this figure makes it very hard to build a complete collection.

Update: A Stretch Serpent recently sold as a "Best Offer" on eBay for around $7,395 in July of 2013. I'm not sure if that is the final price as eBay does not show the actual accepted offer price. Here is the description from that auction:

Well what are the chances of this?!? 2 of 3 known boxed stretch serpents up on the market for the serious collector!IF YOU MISSED THE AUCTION THAT JUST ENDED TODAY - YOU....ARE.....IN....SERIOUS.....LUCK! Unbelievable once in a lifetime luck!!!!!!AS A BONUS: NO B-B GUN SHOTS WERE TAKEN INTO THIS BOX AND HAVE NOT DAMAGED THE BOX OR STYROFOAM COFFIN!! : ) (You would have to have seen the sale of the last serpent to understand that comment) :)WHAT YOU ARE BUYING: 1 original stretch serpent with original box, and all items shown in pics.History: This particular stretch serpent was the very first stretch serpent ever for sale on eBay. Back in May of 2008, this serpent sold for an incredible $12,500 with use of ebay's BUY IT NOW!!!! You definitely should know by now that you will most likely not see another stretch serpent on the market after this one sells, as this will be hoarded away into a private collection - as it was with me for several years now. I have hit a rough patch with work and I am forced to give up the Holy Grail of my toy collection (of ANY toy collection).Tony from stretcharmstrongworld had repaired this serpent, and filled it with beads. Please see pics, I tried to take pics of everything, if you need more pics just ask. Since every collector rates condition differently I will steer away from telling you my opinion of the toy - please use pics for your own reference. What you see in the pics of the toy are what is included in the auction. I will say that because of Tony filling with beads, it fits into the styrofoam tray as shown, but you cannot put the top lid over him because the beads have stuffed him JUST big enough that it fits too tightly to sandwich inside the box - but when displaying him he never has the cover over him anyways. The top styrofoam piece has an area that is thinned and can see through, it is not a human flaw, it was definitely a production thing Just wanted to point that out.Hey we're talking about the frickin' rarest toy on the planet, basically &amp; 30+ years old! ALL BOX FLAPS ARE THERE AND CONNECTED PERFECTLY.Toys of this rarity are impossible to find.

A Stretch Serpent head was recently featured on the TV series Pawn Stars. The Pawn Stars guys eventually paid $500 for the head which is definitely worth far more then that. Here is the head:

It looks to be in great shape. I'm not too sure how realistic or scripted the Pawn Stars series is so the $500 value may or may not be very accurate. Nonetheless it has raised the public awareness over the rarity of this and other stretch toys of the era.

Every hero needs an enemy and the Stretch Armstrong action figure had "Stretch X-Ray" for his arch-enemy. The evil X-Ray was designed as a "see through" (as in transparent) nemesis to the good guy Armstrong. He could be stretched to lengths of four feet and still snap back to his original size.

Stretch X-Ray was to Stretch Armstrong what Lex Luthor was to Superman. He was ugly, and his guts were visible inside his translucent body. He was made in an orange or yellowish color. The top of his head was very brainy, in fact, it looked like the brains were external. He had sharp jagged teeth and beady red eyes. He came along about a year after Stretch Armstrong, in 1979. Kenner toys gave him the title of, "The See Through Invader". He was advertised as a "worthy enemy" of Armstrong and he could get tangled up in mortal combat with him.

Stretch X-Ray was positioned to be the alien enemy of Armstrong. He was depicted as getting the hero into all kinds of dangerous holds and pins. The "deep squeeze", "visible vise" and "bone crusher" positions were the fights that cranked up the playing desires of the sales prospects, usually boys. He was never given clothes. Since he is now rarer than Armstrong, he will fetch a fairly good price for those who are collectors of action figures. Stretch X-Ray originally sold for $10.97. They are now selling for around $300 to $500.

The Stretch X-Ray action figures were able to be stretched up to four times their normal size without doing any harm to the toy. According to some, the liquid inside the X Ray stretch version was thicker than the other stretch figures. This made him more durable. Silicone was added to the skin of the Stretch X-Ray to make him even tougher. The way to tell if one of these has been used heavily is to look at the color of the skin. If there are splotches on it, it means he has been stretched plenty of times. The opposite is true also; no splotches means he was not generally played with. The clearness of the skin will determine what a Stretch X-Ray is worth. The top price can reach up to $800 dollars. Recently an X-Ray sold for just under $400 dollars on ebay.

Some say that the Kenner Stretch X-Ray is one of the easier action figures to find for those who collect them. But the prices that the "X Ray" commands would point to him being rarer than Armstrong. He also has managed to last longer and in usually better shape than Armstrong, thanks to his superior craftsmanship. He was a tool that was sorely needed to boost the dragging sales of his arch-enemy, Stretch Armstrong. Kenner put the "X Ray" alien toy out to pasture soon after his release, but he is not the rarest of their action figures. That honor goes to some other Kenner toys.

Here you can see X-Ray's "see through" torso. Not exactly sure what that is supposed to be inside of him but it looks like some sort of mix of spine and intestine. Probably pretty appealing if you're a kid.

The box and poster for X-Ray were very appealing to kids as well. They showed a number of different poses as well as a few wrestling style moves that X-Ray could utilize on Stretch Armstrong should he get his alien hands on him.

As I mentioned above a Stretch X-Ray in good condition in the box with coffin will sell for $300.00 to $400.00. Loose he'll sell for over $100.00. In fact, I saw one auction where his head alone sold for $78.00. I guess if you have an X-Ray with no head then you'll pay any price to get one.

This 1985 Kenner Star Wars Yak Face action figure was never available at the retail level in the U.S. Production started just before Kenner discontinued the Star Wars line. Some say that Kenner destroyed their overstock while others maintain that left over figures were sent to outlets in Europe and Canada. Some years later collectors realized the rarity of the Yak Face figure and started scooping them up. That sparked the search and surge in collecting.

Suddenly, especially in the '90s, collectors were running over each other for the Yak Face Star Wars figure. It is sometimes referred to as the “Joe Camel” Star Wars figure. It turned out that the Camel brand of cigarettes reportedly had connections to Lucasfilm and parents were in an uproar over this figure. In any case, finding one of these is a great find and worthy of auction or as keepsakes for future investment. It's definitely one of the must have figures for the ultimate and smart collector of Star Wars action figures.

There are two variations of the card that the Yak Face was packaged with. One, called the Tri Logo card has three Return of the Jedi logos in three different languages and was used in Europe while the other was used in Canada and is French and English. As you can see the tri logo card was not issued with the coin as the other card was. Because of this the tri logo card usually sells for less then the other.

A mint Yak Face with coin recently sold for nearly $3000.00 while a tri logo card sold for $1000.00. Even just the coin is worth quite a bit as a mint Yak Face coin alone sold for $462.00.

You don't see this action figure come up for auction too often but when it does it brings big dollars! Star Wars action figure aficionados will recognize this figure as Kenner's 1978 Luke Skywalker. Not just any Luke Skywalker but a 12 Back A double telescoping lightsaber Luke Skywalker. It sold in March of 2012 for a cool $13,000! It is unpunched and AFA graded at 90 or NM/MT. A very nice figure for anyone's collection! A 12 Back C AFA graded 90 Skywalker sold for $12,000 a while back.

As you know the Luke Skywalker, Ben Kenobi and Darth Vader double telescoping lightsabers are very difficult to find given their low production numbers. Of course, the Darth and Kenobi figures are probably even more rare. It will be interesting to see what either of those sell for if they come up for auction.

Of all the Star Wars action figures that have come out, probably the most surprisingly successful one was Boba Fett Star Wars action figure. He made his official debut in “The Empire Strikes Back” and was an immediate hit. George Lucas didn't realize how many fans liked him and his subsequent screen presence was cut in the final episode “Return of the Jedi”. That being said, Boba Fett made his toy room appearance in 1980 as part of the 21 Back group and was almost impossible to find on shelves.

No classic Star Wars collection can be complete without the 1980 Boba Fett action figure but at around $2000.00 for an unopened figure it is not easy to aqcuire. This figure has some controversy to it as many old timers claim that Kenner had issued a missile firing Boba Fett. Kenner to this day denies this but packaged versions have appeared and a few lucky collectors have one. Word is that Kenner feared that the firing missile would be dangerous and they didn't want to be sued. I've also heard that a child choked on one of the missles and that was enough for Kenner to change the design during the prototype phase of development. They then re-issued a new version with the missile inoperative. That's the double whammy with these figures as not only are the re-issued versions worthy of $2k but the super rare missile firing Boba Fett figure is worth even more. You might even see collectors willing to trade sets of other figures just for the rocket firing Boba Fett figure. The hunt is on for these figures, both versions, and you'll find collectors traveling to the far corners of the Earth for these figures. From flea markets to estate auctions you'll find collectors just showing up hoping to find them.